What is Democrats for Education Reform?

Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is an education privatization group started by hedge fund managers who wanted to influence Democrats'
education policies just as the Wal-Mart family had influenced Republicans'. In the words of one of DFER's founders, in order to get Democrats
to emulate Republicans on education, it would have to be an "inside job," and they needed a group that would be named Democrats for Education
Reform.

Rex Sinquefield

The apparently defunct DFER group in Missouri has two ties to right-wing financier Rex Sinquefield, the president of the Show-Me Institute and a member of the right-wing State Policy Network. Rodney Hubbard, the former president of DFER-Missouri, was fined by the Missouri Ethics
Commission for concealing campaign contributions, including several large contributions from Sinquefield. DFER-Missouri's Web page uses the
same Google Analytics code as several organizations founded by Sinquefield, including the Children's Education Alliance of Missouri, the
Missouri Council for a Better Economy, Pelopidas and United for Missouri’s Future, and several expired domains related to Sinquefield’s Show-Me
Institute.

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch, owner of FOX News and numerous right-wing newspapers across the globe, was revealed to have donated $1 million to Education
Reform Now, the 501(c)(3) arm of DFER.

Walton Family Foundation

Even though DFER co-founder Whitney Tilson once said, "Because the moment we take any Wal-Mart money—that's anti-union, etcetera, etcetera,"
DFER has accepted $5,739,600 from the Walton Family Foundation since 2010.

But Wait, There's More!

Cease and desist from the Democratic Party of Los Angeles: The Democratic Party of Los Angeles demanded that DFER stop
using the word "Democrats" in its organization, arguing that it appeared to violate California elections law and the bylaws of the Los Angeles
County Democratic Party.

DFER-related 501(c)(3) spends big in ad against Chicago Teachers Union: Education Reform Now, the 501(c)(3) arm of DFER,
ran a high-profile advertisement against the Chicago Teachers Union in the run-up to the CTU strike in 2012.